There was no introduction needed; the Black Thunder was a well-known symbol of destruction itself.

Destruction, aka Vraelyn Storm!

"This..."

Soleine was speechless when she saw this; a tremor ran through her heart. No, it wasn’t because she feared the lightning or the woman herself.

Her eyes dropped down to Emperal...who was standing frozen.

"Even he is shocked. What if his heart moves when he sees her? What if he gets back to her? What if that bitch seduces him again? What if he...leaves me?"

Endless, literally endless questions swirled in her mind, making her expression darken every second.

It was so ugly that even Zeratheil raised his brow. His eyes flickered in amusement. But soon, his eyes shifted, looking into the distance.

A black rocket tore through space and crossed the distance at a terrifying speed. In an instant, it arrived before the group. And there she was...Vraelyn Storm in all her glory.

Her name itself was used as a synonym for destruction; her existence was the sole reason the Titans hadn’t devoured the Dragons.

A tall woman floated high in the air; she had deep crimson eyes that looked down upon the heavens themselves.

Her body was a masterpiece of work, with slender yet strong arms, a high collarbone, and a perfectly symmetrical face.

She was tall, an inch taller than even Soleine. Black lightning crackled and danced around her. Soleine and Zeratheil looked at her, their gazes filled with the element of surprise.

"...Vraelyn?"

Soleine muttered, hearing her voice, Vraelyn’s gaze snapped back at Soleine. For a second, a terrifying intent to snap her neck passed through her eyes. But, involuntarily, her gaze dropped to the figure she wanted to see the most.

In the center of the arena, she saw him. Despite the pressure, despite the unknown variables, he stood there with his back straight; his confidence hadn’t waned a single bit.

"Eeek!!"

Seraveth hurriedly hid behind her father’s back, scared to even look at her mother, and even Emperal frowned. But, he didn’t speak.

Looking at Zeratheil and Soleine, Vraelyn finally opened her mouth to speak.

"Family matters, I will be back in an hour."

And without even waiting for a reply, she waved her hands. An invisible pressure surrounded both Emperal and Seraveth.

Emperal’s expression changed, "Soleine!"

He spoke out loud, that one word felt like an arrow launched straight at Vraelyn’s already fragile heart.

Her eyes blurred slightly. The pressure around Emperal loosened a bit, and with a wave of Soleine’s hand...it was diffused.

"Well, if he doesn’t want to go...he doesn’t go."

Soleine’s smile widened, a wave of pleasure coursed through her body as she observed Emperal depending on her and openly dismissing Vraelyn. It was a euphoric moment for her.

With a heavy heart, Vraelyn sighed and descended to the ground, right in front of Emperal.

She stared at him, her eyes, despite the destructive lightning around her body, were incredibly soft when they looked at him.

Emperal stared back, thousands and thousands of emotions that he had suppressed in his heart...threatened to overflow.

The memories and moments came rushing back, but unfortunately, the words stuck in his throat.

Aldric frowned when he saw this, turning his head. He couldn’t help but observe Alzerath’s expression.

And there it was...

"Vraelyn! What is the meaning of this?"

Alzerath spoke, his voice laced with rage. The way she looked at Emperal, the way she spoke about ’Family matters’, if he couldn’t even recognize this, he might as well call Emperal Daddy.

But to his surprise, Vraelyn’s eyes shifted to him. The earlier soft eyes were replaced with endless rage.

"I have endured enough. I have spilled my blood for the dragons. I have wasted my time raising such a stupid daughter, and I’m done staying with you."

The more she spoke, the angrier he got. Several veins popped on his forehead.

"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT!?" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Normally, he wouldn’t let his emotions get the better of his sanity. But today? The humiliation he felt was endless.

He was a Dragon! And not just any Dragon, he was the Lord of the Dragons!

"Shut up, don’t interrupt me. All this time, it was because of you that I was always interrupted. Now, I’m warning you. If you dare say another word or take a step forward, Draventhar will have a new king."

The venom in her voice was so thick that, for a moment, even Emperal was surprised.

Her words clamped his mouth shut, gritting his teeth. He flew into the distance, leaving a trembling and ’vulnerable’ little Seraveth.

"My daughter, I will deal with you soon."

Saying that, she once again turned towards Emperal, who was watching all the drama quietly, as if this all didn’t happen because of him.

High in the air, Zeratheil and Soleine watched all this happen. Both had different expressions, one was amused, and the other—Soleine had a strange expression when she saw this.

...

"Emperal...just give me a chance. I won’t give you any excuses. I know I have failed you and betrayed your trust when you needed me the most. But...just give me a single chance to explain myself."

Vraelyn spoke, her crimson eyes dimming slightly. And to the surprise and horror of everyone, her head slowly began tilting...down.

She was bowing her head! Even Zeratheil was shocked to his core; in his long life...he had never once witnessed such a scene.

Vraelyn’s arrogance was world-renowned, let alone the proud dragon blood flowing in her veins.

"Mother!!!"

Seraveth was shocked too; there was no way she could let her mother—or whatever kind of demon she was...lower her head.

Just before it could tilt down, a strong hand held her right cheek. Gripping it tightly.

"That’s enough, Vraelyn. No need to do anything further."

Emperal’s calm voice echoed, making Vraelyn look at him. Emperal sighed when he saw this.

"Infernal Dragon, I can control my Verth to make it sharper than a sword. But, I cannot control my emotions enough to stay on my ground."

"..."

Turning his back, he spoke.

"Follow me"

Which...she did.